Índice de masa corporal pregestacional, ganancia de peso durante el embarazo y estado nutricional del recién nacido

Introduction: The nutritional status of women before and during pregnancy is a determining factor in preventing risks of intrauterine, perinatal, and infant morbidity and mortality. Objective: To determine the pregestational body mass index (BMI) and weight gain during pregnancy, as well as their influence on the newborn’s nutritional status. Methodology: A cross-sectional, descriptive, and observational study. A validated food frequency questionnaire was used to collect information on the dietary patterns of pregnant women. The nutritional status of the newborns was assessed using the WHO growth curves. Results: When comparing pregestational BMI with gestational BMI, there was a significant increase in the prevalence of underweight, rising from 0.6% to 47.7%. Regarding newborn nutritional status, most were within normal ranges for weight/length (86.2%), length/age (68.2%), weight/age (80.3%), and BMI/age (86.8%). However, a significant proportion of neonates showed signs of malnutrition, such as underweight, severe underweight, and short or severely short stature. Discussion: The findings of this study are consistent with other research indicating that elevated maternal BMI may be associated with an increased risk of fetal adiposity. Conclusions: It was observed that children of mothers with a normal BMI achieved better averages in weight, length, and body proportions, whereas those born to overweight or obese mothers presented higher weight-for-age and BMI-for-age indices.